words & images // Steve Mullholand
We all have to make a few hard decisions in our life, and back in 2003, I had to make a huge one.
I found a website that had a pair of OG Air Mag "McFlys" for sale, and just as luck might have it -- the seller lived just a few hours from my place in Florida. To top it off -- not only did he have the pair of McFlys, in damn good shape, but he also had the actual Mattel Hover Board, a DeLorean and the denim jacket. It was ridiculous.
After a few emails back and forth, I took a decent drive out to the guy's place and he allowed me to take as many photos of the shoes as I wanted. I spent like 3 hours shooting every imaginable angle of the shoe. Profiles. Details. Heel close-ups. With and without the hover board. Everything.
And then I was presented with "The Decision" -- way before LeBron had to make his....
Do I buy these shoes?
The guy wanted $8,000 for the McFlys and $18,000 for the hover board..... and wouldn't you know it -- I was just about ready to buy the first "big" camera for the magazine, which cost exactly $8,000 with the lens...damn!! I really wanted the shoes and I knew I'd NEVER see an OG pair in this good of condition again. On the flip side, I could only afford the shoes or the new camera, and the camera was going to allow me to take next level photos for the magazine for years to come.
In the end, I bought the camera. The guy kept calling me because he knew he had me on the hook and was close to reeling me in. I just couldn't do it. And to be honest, I'm glad I didn't, because maybe, just maybe, I'll have a new pair of Air Mag "McFlys" that I can actually wear in the near future.
